# G.L. Pease - Key Largo Review



## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

This morning’s smoke was GLP’s Key Largo, in keeping with my G.L. Pease binge this week. Had it sitting out last night to stabilize – I received this one in a trade with (IIRC) Kelsier……

(pause for research)

Yup – it was Kelsier.

Anyway, I chose Key Largo because it was next in line – Haddo’s Delight is up for tomorrow. In the bag this tobacco smells only faintly of Latakia – mostly a bit of….Virginia(?) sweetness. It smells like a milder blend, at the least. It was unevenly cut ribbon, largely due to being abused in the bag, which I have found packs well for me. Bigger pieces on the bottom, smaller on top. Packed the bowl, stopped by the gas station for an energy drink (yes, I do drink them now and again) and it was off to the lab.

Temperature: 72 degrees in my truck
Skies: Clear
Humidity: It’s a desert. Well, semi-arid steppe.
Accompaniment: Diet Red Bull and NPR Morning Edition (what else?)

First thing that I noticed on putting flame to bowl was that this stuff produces huge billowing clouds of smoke with NO effort. Often my pipe smoking is only producing lighter smoke – almost ….weedy? This wasn’t – it was more like….dare I say….a cigar. Initial flavors bore this out, as Key Largo presents itself initially like a creamy and mild-medium cigar. One with a lighter wrapper, and not the pepper beasties from Nicaragua. It was damned good. Bits of leather and an almost nutty flavor (could swear it had a pistachio note for a moment) were along for the ride too, and the retrohale was similarly cigar-like with more of a pepper note than the citrus that I often find in pipe tobaccos – particularly those with Orientals.

About a third of the way into the bowl the cigar flavor stepped back and let the Latakia come out to play a for a bit. The Orientals followed, and this became more of a lighter English. Smoked this down to the nub …waitaminute – this was my pipe….smoked this down to the bottom of the bowl, enjoying occasional resurgences of the cigar note and creamy smoke, peppery retrohale, citrus, and Latakia.

To say that I like Key Largo would be yet another understatement – much like Lagonda. This is GOOD stuff, IMO. Yet another one to keep on hand. Thank you Kelsier, and way to go GLP.


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## Kelsier (Feb 23, 2012)

I agree that this is a "damn good" blend. It's very near the top of my rotation and I'll definitely buy more when I'm out (which I'm dangerously close to being).


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